From the city of looms & lores | Associate Vice President - Engineering @mychillr | An aspiring writer

Nov 5, 2016

Enchanting Thanjavur & Trichy

If you have ever been through any of the history text books taught in India, you are pretty sure to have heard of the Cholas, the pandavas, the Vijayanagara empire and the Marathas. Well, Thanjavur is one city ruled over by all these empires. Knowing how vibrant the place is, having heard about its art & architecture, a visit to the city was always in mind.

Thanjavur

We reached the Thanjavur railway station at about 9 in the morning. Thanjavur is decently well connected via trains from most of the Tier 1 south indian cities. You might have to hop on & off trains if you are from some where else. A light breakfast from the Ram Nivas hotel right in front of the station and we immediately checked into our room at Star residency. A pretty neat, comfy room had us freshened up and ready to get started.

On to Kumbakonam — Airavatesvara Temple

Having done our homework decently well, we set of to the UNESCO stamped Airavatesvara temple in Kumbakonam. A bus ride of about an hour and a half from Thanjavur, Kumbakonam is a small town full of temples. However, one thats definitely not to be missed is the Airavatesvara. The temple built by the great ruler Raja Raja Chola ,somewhere in the 12th Century, is a great example of the Dravidian architecture that we have heard and talked about in the history text books. The place has an aura of its own, the pillars, the sheer artistry in the carvings and each and every frame that you come across is sure to leave you spell bound.